Welcome from Instagram

Welcome From Instagram!

Shhhhhh! Don't tell Facebook, but Instagram is my favorite social media platform. I share there almost every day, and it has led me to so many great book-loving friends — like YOU! Thank you very much for hopping over to my blog to check out my latest posts.

This construction-themed graphic organizer introduces the reading and writing skill of sequencing. To understand what they read and to write coherently, emerging readers must understand that stories have a beginning, middle and end. Click through to get the organizer, suggestions for using it to teach young children, and recommendations for more than 15 kids books about construction.

In December, our hearts and minds turn to kindness and giving. I hope you will print this calendar, take it to your local bookstore or public library, print it for your students, share it with friends and family, and join me in working through these books (and others!) during the month.

These printable math activities for preschool and kindergarten are based on "Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs' by Mo Willems. Use dinosaur counters to teach counting objects, one-to-one correspondence, patterning, addition facts and more.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I really don't say it enough, but I so appreciate every single visit and visitor to this little site about my family's favorite kids books. To show my gratitude, I'm giving away free printable acrostic poem booklets.

Most days, my little girl and guys wake up ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and my love for them is more powerful than a locomotive. But we are far from perfect, and when they unleash tantrums it can turn my day upside down faster than a speeding bullet. That’s why I love the new picture book Even Superheroes Have Bad Days.

Check out these book-and-poster pairs featuring popular quotes by authors from John Green to Jane Austen. These hand-lettered and typography printables make great gifts for bookish tweens and teens and inspiring wall art for girls or boys bedrooms. If you have a reader in your life, these book gifts will be standouts.

These snacks are super healthy, protein-packed, and fun to make and eat. Gluten free? Don't worry. They are naturally or easily-adapted to be gluten free as well. They pair perfectly with Time for Bed by Mem Fox, an ideal book for toddlers and preschoolers because of its repetitive structure and calming cadence and this week's pick for the Virtual Book Club for Kids.

I just love a good theme. And, of course, I love, love, love to give books on special occasions. If you are celebrating a special baby or toddler, here are three super-fun book and toy gift lists on themes parents love.

I’m offering free, printable creepy-crawly pattern block mats in four different spider shapes to pair with The Very Busy Spiderby Eric Carle and twelve more children's books about spiders. These will work all year long, but I will definitely be using them as a fun Halloweenmath activity in the next couple of weeks.

2106 has been a great year in kids books! Check out these board books that are perfect for introducing Halloween to babies and toddlers. All three feature lovable characters, silly fun, and hands-on appeal.

So many books about childhood are idealized rememberings, but this book remains honest and true while still maintaining a loving gaze. It is already treasured in my home, and it would make a lovely gift for a teacher or care-giver who understands and respects the world of childhood as transient yet enduring.

That we are living in a time of deep humanitarian crisis is no surprise, but the sheer volume of reported hardships and the incessant, 24/7 news and social-media cycle can have a numbing effect on those of us—like my family—who live lives cocooned by extreme privilege. So, when this gorgeous and stirring book arrived in a bundle on my doorstep, I opened it up without a thought and began reading to my daughter.

It’s fall, and they’re everywhere. Apples. Apples. Apples. I’m not complaining, either. I love the fall traditions of apple picking, apple cider, and especially apple pie. I guess that’s why I fell in love with Toto’s Apple. This delightful book has inspired lots of pretend play in my house. Will you play along with us?

Here are five kids books that prominently feature everyone’s favorite “concrete jungle." They have only been out a “New York minute,” and they are so good they’ll have you shaking your head and muttering, “Only in New York.”

Babies Ruin Everything by real-life married couple Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr is in heavy rotation at my house because we have our own little mess machine to contend with. Even if you don’t have a new baby, though, you will find much to enjoy in this fun new picture book.

Friendships come in all different shapes and sizes, and there’s no better medium for exploring these unique friendships than picture books. The people we meet during our lives can be transformative and life-altering, and finding the people we want to spend our time with is always a process unique to the individual. (Part ONE of TWO)

Chickadee Lit

I write about reading for families and children. You can make storytime spectacular with my reviews of children's literature; expert techniques for raising readers; book lists for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids; and more.